


Pearl

by DecemberKat



Series: Book of Rachel [1]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Angst, Developing Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff, Heavy Metal, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Interdimensional Travel, Luther Hargreeves Needs A Hug, No Incest, Rock and Roll, Stalking, quarantine fic flood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:55:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23471314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DecemberKat/pseuds/DecemberKat
Summary: Luther meets a woman at a concert and they start dating. But not all is as it seems with Rachel...
Relationships: Luther Hargreeves/OC
Series: Book of Rachel [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1720552
Comments: 4
Kudos: 18





	1. Combination of the Two

Rachel ignored the stares of the inoften passerby as she made her way towards the iron-gated mansion in the middle of downtown. Certainly, the giant hairy ape-man draped half-conscious over her shoulders wasn’t a normal sight in this dimension, but it wasn’t as though he wasn’t human. As she approached the Hargreeves mansion she unlocked the gate with a flick of her long, delicate fingers and shifted Luther’s weight so she could knock on the heavy oak-wooden door.

It was Klaus who answered-- the Seance, her mind supplied helpfully, that ridiculous, mad little nicknames the old Hargreeves had deigned to give his adoptive children in place of any actual identifier-- dressed in his typically flamboyant style with long lace-up leather pants and an old cut-off army jacket and ragged band shirt. He blinked at her owlishly as he took in his brother’s drugged and inebriated state as well as her not-dissimilar clothing choices, complete with heavy eyeliner that was probably as smudged now as his was.

“What the fuck,” said Klaus, more as of a statement than as a genuine inquiry. “Who are you and what--” Rachel cut him off.

“He was drugged,” she said briskly. “We were further downtown, in the warehouse district, at a concert. We’d been dancing together and when I came back from the bathroom it seemed like someone had put something in his drink.” Klaus’s face paled and he stepped aside to let her ease her way into the rebuilt foyer. He helped her ease Luther onto one of the more comfortable couches in the attached living room, stealing glances at Rachel while they did so. She understood his confusion, certainly. She was tall and thin, almost as tall as Luther, with short black curly hair and dark blue-violet eyes that shifted depending on the light source. 

“Did you carry him all the way here?” he asked when they’d managed to get Luther settled on the couch. Rachel nodded.

“He was a bit awkward to carry, but it was really no trouble,” Klaus scoffed, but let it drop. “I’m Rachel, by the way.” Klaus grinned and shook her hand.

“Klaus Hargreeves. Um…” he sighed and thought for a moment. “Do you want some coffee or tea, or… whatever, I mean, you did just go on an epic journey just to bring Luther back to the house.” Rachel chuckled.

“Tea sounds nice,” she said quietly. “If it’s not too much trouble.” Klaus laughed and walked over to the living room bar across from the couch.

“No, no, no, it’s all good. I was actually just about--” He was cut off suddenly by Luther groaning and groggily opening his eyes.

“Wha…?” Rachel helped him sit up and Klaus walked over quickly with two cups of oolong green tea. He handed one to Rachel, who nodded a thank you, and the other he gave to Luther, who immediately took a long sip. “Where...? How…?”

“Hey, it’s alright, big guy,” Klaus murmured. “You’re alright. You’re at home.” Luther took another, smaller, sip of tea and looked over at Rachel.

“Did we…?”

“No,” Rachel said immediately. “I promise I was a perfect gentleman.” Klaus threw his head back and cackled, which made Luther wince and shoot a heartfelt glare at his brother. After a moment, he tried, with Rachel and Klaus’s help, to sit up, head spinning.

“What happened?” he groaned. At once he seemed to realize his shirtlessness and tried to cover himself with a pillow. “What happened to my…?”

“You… had a bad reaction to something at the concert,” Rachel said, pointing a meaningful look at Klaus. “I got you home and gave you something to counteract it.” For a long moment, Luther simply stared at her, wisps of steam curling up from his tea like the paws of a contented housecat.

“Thank you,” he said after a moment. “I should…”

“Yeah, you should probably go sleep it off,” said Rachel, not unkindly. “I ought to get home as well. My cat Bubbles will be wondering where I am.” She laughed and helped Luther up from the couch, transferring him over to his brother as soon as she trusted he could walk with minimal assistance. As Rachel got up to leave she glanced one more time around at the Hargreeves’ mansion. As much as she’d heard of Reginald Hargreeves’ cruel, almost sadistic, treatment of his children, she couldn’t help but acknowledge the old man had decent taste in home decor.

When she was outside she locked the wrought-iron gate behind her and took a deep breath of the cool night air. There was the scent of sudden rain in the air and she thought about Luther’s kind face in the back of the crowd. Something in her had sparked, nearly making her miss a chord mid-song, which their lead singer had given her no end of shit for. She and the rest of the band had pulled up on the corner, and Rachel could see the band’s drummer Whitaker apparently fast asleep in the passenger seat. She crawled inside the van and into a center seat, nearly kneeing the band’s bassist Graham in the face. The band’s lead singer generally went by Monkey amongst her friends, a few inches shorter than Rachel, with long bony legs and shaggy blonde hair she usually tied back in a half-ponytail to avoid getting too many flyaways in her face during their concerts.

“So did you manage to help Prince Charming back to his castle?” Monkey grinned into the rearview mirror as she did a u-turn and headed back to the band’s respective apartments. Rachel rolled her eyes and elbowed a giggly Graham in the side. They’d been friends since she’d moved here nearly a decade ago, him fresh out of college and interning for an engineering firm that his father owned and operated. He was the second shortest of the band, with dark skin and short-cropped curly hair that belied his thoughtful personality.

“His name is Luther, and his brother’s taking care of him.”

“Which one? I know there were a couple, back in the day,” Monkey commented. “There was the teleporter who disappeared early on, and then the Asian one disappeared--”

“You mean The Horror?” Whitaker was awake now and rubbing his unseeing eyes with one hand. He had the same sort of waifish blonde hair as his sister Monkey, but more took after their mother height-wise at around five and a half feet tall. “Honestly, I always kinda felt sorry for the dude. Couldn’t’ve been easy with whatever he had.” Graham nodded as they came upon his and Whitaker’s apartment building.

“Yeah, and you know what they said about the old man, right? Honestly, I’m surprised nobody thought to call CPS on that asshole.” There was a chorus of agreement as Graham and Whitaker got out and headed into their building together. The van was silent as Monkey drove Rachel over to her own building a few streets away.

“So it sounds like you really fell for the guy,” Monkey said quietly as they pulled into the parking lot next to Rachel’s building. “You got to play knight in shining armor and everything.” Rachel smiled and rolled her eyes as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

“I left him a note in his pocket with my phone number on it,” she admitted. “Ball’s in his court now, so you’ll just have to wait and see. Goodnight, Monk.”

“G’night!”

The next morning Luther woke up with a splitting headache. He was alone, thankfully, but there was a note on his bedside table in Klaus’s handwriting. Morning Big Guy! I saved you some breakfast downstairs in the kitchen! A friend of yours brought you home and left her number! Go get ‘em, tiger! XOXO -K

Luther bit back the wave of nausea that curled up through his stomach as he slowly got up out of bed and dressed. The night before was mostly a blur, but he remembered dancing with one of the guitarists for the opening act near the end of the night, a woman nearly his height with curly black hair and heavy dark purple lipstick. He remembered getting a beer, talking with another woman at the bar, looking away for a moment while Rachel was in the bathroom and then…

There was something in the back pocket of the jeans he’d been wearing last night. Huh. Klaus had been right. There was a piece of paper with Rachel’s name and phone number on it, along with a directive to call her and a small self-portrait next to the digits. He tucked it back into his shirt pocket and went down for breakfast, reheating the promised leftover plate of scrambled eggs and sausage as he brewed a fresh pot of coffee. After a few moments, he heard Klaus and Diego clomping down the stairs arguing about something or another. Klaus crowed loudly and spread his arms out wide when he saw his other brother bent over his breakfast at the kitchen table.

“Top of the morning to ya, lover boy!” he said as Diego went to pour himself some coffee. “Feeling any better after last night?”

“My head’s killing me,” he said simply. “Thanks for, uh…” he trailed off and gestured helplessly.

“Hey, I wasn’t the one who dragged your drunk ass six blocks home after bar closing.” Luther felt his face turn red as he tried to hide behind his coffee mug. Diego poured a good portion of creamer into his mug and sat down across from him with an amused look on his face.

“Oh?” he purred, grinning. “Do tell.” Luther shrugged.

“There was, um…” He swallowed. “I went to a concert and, uh… somebody I met there helped me get home.” Klaus sat up on the table and cackled.

“Diego you should’ve SEEN this girl! She was gorgeous! Curly black hair, almost as tall as him, legs that went all the way up--” Luther cut his brother off by flinging a forkful of scrambled egg at his face. He was far too hungover to deal with Klaus teasing him about Rachel and it was barely eight o’clock. He quickly finished eating and went back up to his room, ignoring Diego and Klaus’s whispered excitement. 

The next day he did call her, making plans to meet up for dinner after her shift at the local library. Soon they were meeting regularly, much to the delight and worry of Luther’s siblings.

“There’s no record of Luther’s girlfriend anywhere,” Diego announced at the family meeting a few months later. Luther was out with her again, having dinner at a place Diego had recommended for their lo mein specialties. Vanya was there, along with Klaus, Five, Ben (more or less corporeal as Klaus practiced controlling his abilities), as well as Allison, who’d moved there from Los Angeles to pursue her career on Broadway. “The first record I could find of her was the lease on her apartment, but other than that, Rachel Faris doesn’t seem to exist on paper until 2018.”

“She could’ve changed her name,” Allison suggested. “Lots of people do that.” Diego shook his head.

“I looked up every variation I could think of and then some. I swear, there’s something fishy going on with her. I don’t know what yet, but--” he was cut off by a door slam. Luther was home, and as he entered the living room his face fell flat as he looked over from one sibling to the other.

“Guys, what--”

“How well do you know Rachel?” Diego interrupted. “I mean, really know her. Does she have any family in the area, or…?” Luther looked confused for a moment, then angry.

“What do you care, Diego? Did you seriously run a background check on her? She’s a friend.”

“She’s a ‘friend’ with no discernable impact on the world until 2018--”

“Diego--!” Luther cut himself off and took a deep breath. After a moment of silence, Vanya spoke up,

“We’re just trying to look out for you, bro,” she said quietly. “Like you all tried to do for me.” This deflated any arguments Luther had stockpiled. She was right, after all; nobody wanted a repeat of what had happened with Leonard.

“Alright,” he said finally. “I’ll tell you what she told me. Her family’s from Lebanon, but they moved to Brazil when she was a baby. She has one sister and a niece, but she hasn’t been in contact with them for a while. She mentioned an ex-boyfriend who didn’t take their breakup well. If she’s hiding anything, it’s probably because of him,” he sighed and shot a glare at Diego. “Happy?” Diego sighed and looked around the room.

“Yeah,” he said finally. “I’m sorry to interrogate, but it’s like Vanya said-- we’re just trying to look out for you, bro.”

Things were going well for Rachel, all things considered. Luther was, as Monkey continued to tease her for, the perfect gentleman. He was shy, certainly, and more than a little socially awkward, but underneath he was a genuinely sweet person, passionate about science and respectful of her personal boundaries-- so much so that she had found herself taking the lead in the relationship, not that she minded-- and his background as a bonafide superhero added to his own personal awkward charm. 

It came to a head when she invited him up one night, ostensibly for a nightcap before parting ways for the evening. She leaned in at one point, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. He froze and she leaned back to take a sip of her drink.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly after a moment. “I… you just caught me off guard.” He leaned over the tabletop and took her long, delicate hand in his own. She curled her fingers around his palm and up towards his wrist. He was frozen now, face pale and nervous. Her heart sank as she realized.

“Luther, I’ve seen your shirt ride up whenever you go to grab something up high. I figured you had… a skin condition of some sort and that’s why you’ve never worn short sleeves around me.” Luther gave her a tiny smile and Rachel cheered inwardly. 

“It’s, uh...something like that.”

“Luther, that…” she paused and gestured at his exposed wrist. “Isn’t a problem for me. It never was. And it never will be. You are one of the kindest, gentlest men that I have ever met. And I… I love you for it.” And with that, the truth was out. Luther’s face turned a terrific shade of red as he leaned down to kiss her once more. Her lips were as soft as they looked and he felt her hands reach up to curl around his broad shoulders. After a moment they broke for air, smiling dumbly at each other.

"Been wanting you to do that for a while now," he admitted. “I just… didn’t think I’d ever have a chance with a woman like you.” Rachel blushed and raised an eyebrow.

“Like me?” she echoed. “I’m just… me.”

“And that’s more than I ever could’ve hoped for, Rachel.” Finally at a loss for words, Rachel simply curled her hands around Luther’s jaw and kissed him, gently at first, then following his lead as he deepened the kiss. Rachel felt his large hands steady around her waist as she ran her own hands through his hair, tugging gently at the cropped strands as his beard brushed gently against her face. After a moment Rachel’s hands wandered downward over Luther’s broad chest and shoulders, pausing as she felt him tense up.

“You okay?” Rachel said quietly. Luther was silent for a moment, apparently lost for words. 

“Yeah,” he said after a moment. “Yeah, I just…” he trailed off. 

“We don’t have to do anything you’re uncomfortable with,” Rachel said quickly. “We can take it slow.” Luther tried to blink away the tears that threatened to fall. Rachel’s stomach felt heavy and she leaned in to wrap her arms around him.

“I’m sorry, Rachel, this is really…”

“It’s okay, Luther. You’re safe here.” After a moment Luther managed to get himself together and smile sadly at Rachel.

“I, uh… I have a confession to make.”

“Anything, babe.” Luther’s heart clenched at the endearment and he couldn’t help but smile at her.

“This is actually my first, uh... real relationship. I never, uh… I never dated when I was younger, I was always focused on…” he paused and took a shaky breath. “The mission, and, uh, whatever Dad had me doing,” There was a note of bitterness in his voice as he mentioned Reginald. He’d mentioned some of the things his father had done to him and his siblings in the name of ‘training’ but he was always hesitant to go into details, which, Rachel supposed, was understandable. He continued,

“I, uh… I don’t remember my first time. I was, uh… kind of having a breakdown and, uh… I got drunk and went out to a rave. The next thing I remember was waking up at home in my own bed… completely naked and Anya still asleep next to me. Apparently I’d… we’d…” Luther trailed off and tried to rub out a blemish in the pavement with his shoe.   
“Anyway,” he continued, clearing his throat. “It’s not really important.” 

“It is if she hurt you,” Rachel said adamantly. “Do you remember anything else about that night?” Luther seemed to shrink into himself, clutching his coffee cup like a lifeline. 

“Later I remembered… a taxi… she helped me up to bed ‘cause I, um… anyway…” he trailed off and took a final sip of his coffee before tossing the cup into the garbage. Still, Rachel was looking at him with an odd look in her eye. It wasn’t quite pity, but it was close enough that it made Luther squirm in his seat. 

“I’m sorry your first time didn’t go too well,” she said diplomatically after a moment of silence. “Mine wasn’t too special. High school boyfriend. Honestly, I don’t really even remember his name. Jason, maybe? Anyway, it was in the back of his pickup at this… nearby lover’s lane next to the grocery store. I didn’t even—“ she cut herself off, blushing hard. “Anyway. I’m not going to pressure you into anything, but when you’re ready I’d be honored to give you a proper first time.” Luther’s entire face went pink as Rachel placed one hand deliberately midway up his thigh. After a moment he grinned and kissed her, gently at first, then more insistent as she deepened the kiss, crawling into his lap, only to scramble off as she heard the chair they were in creak ominously. Rachel laughed and after a moment Luther joined in. Laughter turned to moans as he leaned down to kiss her again, hands supporting her at the waist and, after a bit of prompting, wandering lower to cup her bottom.

“Bedroom?”

“End of the hall.” She yelped as Luther picked her up and carried her down the hall, bridal style, before gently setting her down on the bed. He leaned down to bracket himself over her, massive torso covering her like a heavy winter blanket. She kissed him eagerly, hands dancing at the hem of his turtleneck. When one of them started to creep underneath the thick fabric he froze and grabbed her hand gently.

“Don’t…” The fear in his voice broke Rachel’s heart. She stared up at him, brown eyes wide.

“If we’re going to do this, I want to see you. All of you. Please.” Luther hesitated for a moment, then leaned back to peel off his shirt. His skin was covered in patchy brown fur, like a chimpanzee’s, thicker than normal, with pinkish patches of bare scar tissue scattered here and there, almost as if someone had tried to rip off parts of his skin. After a moment of silence, Rachel gently curled her hands over Luther’s broad shoulders and kissed him, more sweetly than before, putting in all her love and affection for this sweet, shy, gentle man she’d fallen in love with. Luther kissed her back after a split second of hesitation, relief that she hadn’t run screaming apparent as she gently nudged him onto his back. She peeled her own shirt and bra off, reveling in the awestruck expression on Luther’s face at the sight.

“Holy shit,” he groaned as Rachel ground down against his still clothed crotch. “I think I’ve died and gone to heaven.” Rachel laughed and kissed him, undoing the front of his jeans and tugging them down and tossing them next to her nightstand. His cock was a bit larger than average, around seven inches long and four inches circumference, standing tall and purple at the tip. Rachel licked her lips and eagerly stood up for a moment to shuck her own pants and underwear before joining him on the bed, only to stand up again.

“Condoms are in the bathroom,” she said by way of explanation. She ran as fast as she could, snatching a handful out of the drawer and dashing back to her bedroom. Luther was still there, waiting, covering his chest, apparently out of sheer habit, with one of her blankets. She approached him slowly, not wanting to startle him. “Hey,” she said quietly. “If you changed your mind…” Luther shook himself out of his thoughts.

“Sorry,” he said. “I’m just a little nervous.” Rachel smiled. He was so genuinely sweet to her, even in private. It was a nice change from her last partner.

“That’s perfectly normal, all things considered,” she said, sitting back down on the bed. He leaned forward to kiss her, slow and sensual as he caressed her side up towards her breasts where he gently passed a thumb over one nipple. She groaned into his mouth and quickly tore open the condom to roll it gently down his thick shaft. He groaned at the sudden contact.

“Mm, wait, uh…” Rachel leaned back a bit. Luther took a few deep breaths and nodded. “Sorry, I just… I just needed a second. God, you’re beautiful.” Grinning, Rachel straddled him and nudged the tip of her entrance on his cock.

“So are you, baby,” she whispered as she sunk down with a groan. “My beautiful, beautiful boy.” She paused as he bottomed out in her, allowing herself a chance to get used to that delicious ache of having such a large cock inside her after years of hardly anything at all. After a moment she nodded and they began to move together, Rachel grinding down on his pubic bone, sending shivers of pleasure throughout her body. He sat up to kiss her, the changed angle hitting her g-spot with renewed vigor. A minute later she felt him fumbling a hand down towards her clit and, gently at first, rubbed at it with his thumb, tumbling her over the edge into orgasm. Her mind exploded into a hundred different colors as he tumbled in after her, fucking her through the aftershocks as she came down from her high. He winced as she pulled off his softening cock and disposed of the filled condom in the trash can in the bathroom. Luther was half asleep when she came back in, slated and tired.

“Wow,” he said when she’d settled them both under the covers. “That was… wow.” Rachel giggled and kissed him again, running her hands through the fur on his chest and stomach. 

“It’s softer than it looks.” she murmured. Luther blushed but let her continue to gently stroke him as they started to drift off together.

“Rachel?”

“Hm?”

“Was… was that true? What you said?” Rachel opened her eyes and looked up at his worried expression.

“Absolutely,” she said. “I’m not a one night stand kinda gal. I care about you, Luther. And I’m sorry you haven’t been able to feel comfortable with yourself.” Seemingly satisfied, Luther kissed her goodnight and leaned over to turn off the lamp on the bedside table. In the darkness he heard Rachel’s breathing even out as she drifted off into sleep, safe in his oversized arms.


	2. Cry Baby

It was almost two months after that that he found her. She’d just made herself an evening cup of tea when she spotted him waiting outside her window. Luckily, she was on the third floor, but she still felt her face drain of blood when she saw him staring up at her with those big green eyes of his shining in the evening light. The thick mug nearly tumbled out of her hands when she saw him, though she didn’t think he knew yet which apartment she was in. She packed a duffel bag with basic toiletries and a change of clothes and waited until he disappeared to leave under the cover of darkness. 

Then, she ran. It was nearly three-quarters of a mile to the Hargreeves Mansion, and she nearly passed out of sheer panic when she finally arrived. She unlocked the gate and hurried up the front steps and knocked frantically on the oak wooden door. 

A young boy answered, mixed drink in hand, wearing an old-fashioned sweater and trousers combination, hair neatly combed off to the side. 

“Can I help—” Rachel cut him off, hurrying past the boy and shoving the door closed behind it, locking everything she could find and finally sinking to the floor afterward, shaking with fear and adrenaline. The boy looked at her curiously, taking in her Janis Joplin tee shirt and assorted spiked jewelry that she hadn’t had a chance to take off yet to get ready for bed. 

“Ma’am, are you okay?” he asked. Rachel looked at him, tears running down her cheeks, likely smearing her carefully applied mascara. Rachel took a heaving breath and shook her head. 

“Querido, is Luther home?” she asked gently. “I need… oh god.” She started crying in earnest then, barely able to process the boy disappearing with a pop, not unlike an electrical fuse blowing out. A moment later she heard Luther’s thundering footsteps coming down the stairs. She scrambled to her feet and ran to wrap her arms around him the minute she saw him come down to the entryway. 

“Rachel? Rachel, what—?” He simply held her for a minute, stroking her hair and just letting her cry into his thick sweater. Finally, she seemed to run out of tears. There were a few smears of mascara that had transferred over to his shirt and she looked up at him concerned. 

“I’m sorry,” she rushed out. “Oh god, I’m so sorry, I couldn’t think of anywhere else, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry—“ Luther shushed her and gave her another hug. 

“It’s okay, honey, I got you. It’s alright.” Over his shoulder, he saw Five’s befuddled expression. 

“Honey?” his brother mouthed, glaring. Soon he saw Klaus thundering down the stairs as well, hair wet and face bare of his usual thick eyeliner. 

“What the hell happened?” Luther glanced up at his brother and shrugged. Finally, Rachel eased herself out of Luther’s grasp, though she stayed in the comfort of his arms around her. She glanced up at Klaus, then back at the boy, then back up at Luther. 

“I should… I should p-p-probab-ba-bly tell you wh-wh-what’s going o-on.”

“Are you familiar with the theory of multiple universes?” They’d migrated to the living room, where the boy— Five, apparently— had poured her some water, which she had drained nearly two-thirds of in one go. She sat next to Luther on the couch, leaning into him almost subconsciously as she relayed her story. 

“My family really is from Lebanon— I was born there, but my family moved to Brazil when I was a little girl. I met Haven at a gig in South Beach. He was charming, mostly, for the first few months we were dating. But then he…” she paused to wipe away a few remaining tears with a tissue. 

“Take your time.” Klaus said quietly. Luther leaned over her to press a gentle kiss to Rachel’s hairline. She gave a small smile and leaned into his touch. Klaus and Five shared a glance while Luther passed a box of tissues over to Rachel.

“I finally left him maybe a year later. I had a device my mother invented to travel between worlds. I used it to get away.”

“Jesus,” Five muttered to himself. “How’d he managed to find you?” Rachel seemed to be trying to fold into herself, and when she answered her voice was small and child-like.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “He must’ve found some other way to follow me through d-d-d-d-d-dimensions and…” she trailed off. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make a fuss.”

“It’s not a problem for us,” Luther said quietly. “It never will be. We’ll figure this out. You’re safe.” 

“God knows we’ve dealt with worse than an angry ex-boyfriend,” Klaus added dryly. “You know a supervillain tried to eat my sister once?” Rachel sputtered out a laugh at Klaus’s deadpan tone of voice and wiped away the tear marks on her face with a tissue. Five glanced from his brother to the woman next to him. Clearly they’d been seeing each other for a while, but he hadn’t been aware of her until Klaus mentioned her in passing one night when he hadn’t found Luther in any of his usual haunts around the mansion. 

“Luther, we need to talk to you,” he gave Rachel a look. “Alone, if you don’t mind.”

“Five--” Luther sighed.

“It’s alright, Lu,” Rachel said. Five nearly dropped his drink when he heard Luther’s childhood nickname coming out of a stranger’s mouth. “I’m sure you guys need a minute.” She kissed Luther on the cheek and asked Klaus directions to the closest restroom right off the kitchen. When the three were alone Five crossed his arms and glared at Luther.

“So,” he began, taking a sip of his drink. “She seems nice. Bit of a wild story.” Luther crossed his arms over his broad chest.

“Any wilder than my little brother being a 53-year-old time traveler in a kid’s body?” Klaus chuckled.

“He’s got you there, Fivey,” he said. “C’mon, she carried Lu like half a mile to make sure he got home safe when she’d only met him like three hours ago. You think she’s lying?”

“Or holding something back. My point is that whatever she’s running from, if she’s running at all--”

“You can’t fake an emotional response like that, Five,” Luther said. “Not easily.”

“And you know this because of your extensive knowledge of what people are like? It’s not like you barely even met a woman outside this family, let alone--”

“That was uncalled for.” Luther cut his brother off and turned to notice Rachel standing in the doorway, face bare of any makeup or any trace of her earlier emotional outburst.

“Five’s not wrong,” she said, stone-faced. “Luther told me I was his first real relationship, but that doesn’t matter. He’s been good to me, and I’ve tried to be good to him. I never wanted to bring my past howling at your doorstep, but it was the closest safe place I could think of,” she gestured towards the blue duffel bag that was sitting next to Luther’s feet at the end of the couch. “Look in the bag. You’ll find a Greco-Roman style shortsword that was my mother’s,” Immediately Five went to pick through Rachel’s bag and held up the heavy leather scabbard, sword firmly strapped down so it wouldn’t slide out willy-nilly, along with a metallic sphere he supposed was the transdimensional travel device. “It’s not that I can’t defend myself, but I was hoping to be able to count on the fact that he doesn’t know we’re here or what your family can do. All I’m asking is a place to bunker down while I figure out my next move,” Her eyes glistened with unshed tears and Luther was quick to run over to comfort her. After a moment she pulled herself together, wiping away her tears with her shirt sleeve. “Please. I know you all… suffered at the hands of someone who was supposed to love you. I just want to stop running.” There was a moment of silence. Finally, Luther spoke up.

“I don’t expect anyone to—“

“I’m in,” said Five and Klaus together. Five made a face at his brother and continued, “If this guy’s coming after you here he won’t be able to get in easily.”

“Dad didn’t want anyone sneaking into his precious Umbrella Academy.” Klaus said dryly. 

“And except for that one time last year, nobody has,” Five continued, draining the last of his drink. “We should call Allison and Vanya, let them know what’s going on.” Rachel took a deep, shaky breath and walked over to the table.

“In the interest of full disclosure… I need to show you all something.” She placed her cupped hand gently over the table, palm down. There was a slight hiss and a crackle of ice as she removed her hand. Where once there had only been the fine glass top of the coffee table was a finely detailed rose seemingly carved out of ice. Klaus’s mouth popped open as Five warily reached out to pick it up, eyebrows furrowed.

“Neat trick,” Klaus said dryly. “Where’d you say you were from?”

“Sao Paolo,” Rachel answered immediately. “I came to the United States to study international law when I met Haven. My ex. I wanted to work for the Hague. But that was… a long time ago.” Klaus gave her a sad smile and gently patted her hand.

“I know the feeling.” To Luther, he said, “I’ll call Diego. She can spend the night here and we’ll figure out our next move in the morning.” He and Five left the room to prepare, leaving Luther and Rachel alone together. 

“Thank you so much for this.” Rachel rasped, leaning into him. She felt Luther wrap his strong arms around her. She closed her eyes. It had been a long time since she’d felt safe enough to trust anyone, let alone a man, enough to tell them what she’d been through. Not even her bandmates knew the whole story. After a moment Luther spoke,

“Is Haven the one who gave you those scars on your stomach?”

“Yeah,” she whispered. “He already tried to kill me once before. He won’t stop until I’m dead.”

“Well, we’re not going to let that happen,” Luther said firmly. “We’re… superheroes. Or were meant to be. It’s what we’re supposed to do.” Rachel smiled and adjusted his jacket collar. 

“Lucky me,” she purred. “My very own knight in oversized sweaters.” Luther chuckled and leaned down to kiss her, wrapping his long arms around her waist. They broke for air at the sound of Klaus whooping and wolf-whistling at the end of the hallway. Luther’s ears went red as Rachel stuck her tongue out playfully.

“Did you call Diego?” Luther asked. Rachel continued to cling to him, head resting on his broad shoulder. Klaus ran a hand through his hair and sighed. 

“Yeah. He wasn’t happy to be woken up but he’ll be here,” he said. “In the meantime, I’m going back to bed.” Klaus bowed them goodnight and headed upstairs to his room. Luther and Rachel were alone again. She went over to grab her things and followed him upstairs. 

His childhood bedroom had been small, from his descriptions, but cozy, decorated with model rockets and airplanes that he’d put together as a child, two full bookshelves full of records, and little glow in the dark stars on the ceiling that made him feel as though he were still in space, the only room in the house that he could still call home. His new bedroom was larger, adapted to fit his larger frame, with a queen-sized bed and dresser, as well as an adapted, larger personal bathroom off to one side. There was a smaller bookshelf off to one side, with what little he’d been able to recover from the rubble of his father’s burnt out mansion stacked neatly on the top shelf. On the ceiling, he’d apparently placed a new set of glow in the dark stars in neat constellations. 

“Were these what you could see from the moon?” she asked, pointing to one particular cluster of stars. Luther smiled and studied the one she was pointing at. 

“Yeah,” he said, putting a hand on her back. “I named that one Penelope. Dad.... didn’t really like us reading fiction, but I read the Odyssey on my own when I was ten. I admired her, almost as much as Odysseus himself. I couldn’t imagine doing that, having so much faith in someone that I’d weave the same piece of fabric for twenty years because I somehow knew they’d come back to me.” When he finished Luther looked back at her looking at him with the sort of intense, genuine love he’d always dreamed about having as a child, mixed with something it took him a moment still to recognize.

Hope.


	3. One Good Man

The morning light came dancing through the plastic blinds on Luther’s window, the gentleness of the scene belying the chaos and panic of the night before. Luther was still asleep when Rachel awoke tangled in with him and his bedsheets. She felt the little indentations on her face from using his hairy chest as a pillow, but that was the farthest thing from her mind as she watched him breathe evenly in and out, more peacefully than she’d ever seen him awake. Soon enough the light reached Luther as well, and she watched his bright blue eyes flutter open as he shifted slightly under her.

“Hey,” Luther croaked. He frowned and ran a finger over the little indentations in her cheek, which Rachel could already feel fading away with the morning sunlight. She smiled and took his hand gently. 

“You sleep okay?” she asked quietly. Luther leaned into her touch and kissed her, disregarding both of their morning breath. Rachel giggled and wrinkled her nose before getting up. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Her outfit was simple that day, more so than she’d dress normally. She pulled a simple black long sleeve tee shirt from her bag, along with last night’s dark wash jeans and a simple black leather choker embellished with a simple silver heart-shaped buckle and held on in the back by a series of snaps. On the off chance an attacker got their fingers around it she wouldn’t be stuck, possibly strangled to death by her own little vanities. She didn’t bother with makeup that day. Luther had never shown a preference either way, and it was a refreshing change of pace from Haven’s old constant criticism over her appearance.

She and Luther dressed quietly, then headed downstairs for breakfast. It was a pancakes morning in the Hargreeves household, and Rachel took a stack for herself and handed another, slightly larger, plate over to Luther. Five was there, still half asleep in his little teenage body, cradling a mug of black coffee as though it held the answers to life, the universe, and everything. He raised his mug to her as she passed and took a grateful sip. Klaus sat next to his babiest brother and across the table from her and Luther. He’d apparently already finished his own morning cup of tea and had just sat down with a second when Rachel and Luther’d arrived downstairs. He grinned impishly at them.

“Guten morgen, meine Freunde!” he said cheerfully. “I hope you two didn’t keep each other up too late last night!” Luther coughed and nearly choked on a piece of pancake. Rachel reached over and rubbed his back as she gave Klaus an equally merciless smile.

“We slept very well, Klaus, thank you for asking,” she purred. “I only hope your body pillow was as comfortable as mine.” Luther’s entire face went red as Diego, who’d set up behind them leaning against the sink, bent over double laughing. 

“Aw man,” he said through bursts of deep-seated laughter. “You really caught a live one!” Rachel giggled and kissed Luther on the cheek before digging back into her half-eaten plate of pancakes.

“I’m only teasing, sweetie.” she murmured. Luther smiled and took a sip of his coffee. She could feel Diego’s eyes on the back of her head, studying her as she chatted aimlessly with Five and Klaus. It wasn’t that she could blame him, of course; she would’ve done the same exact thing in his place if Luther was her brother, naive and stubbornly loyal to a fault, barely a year out from his entire world crashing down around his feet. The official first day of spring was around the corner, and with the beginning of spring came the memories of last year’s near apocalypse and the horrible week leading up to it.

So she ignored Diego for now, choosing to instead ask Klaus about his new knitting project and his work at a nearby rehab center helping people whose shoes he’d walked through for most, if not all, of his adult life. Finally, with the meal winding down, came the part that Rachel had been dreading. It was almost easy to pretend that this was a normal (or normal-ish) family breakfast, and she and Luther a normal (or normal-ish) couple. But now it was time for her to face what had brought her running half a mile through the streets of Argyle to the Hargreeves mansion in the dead of night. Diego began by sitting down at the head of the table and clearing his throat meaningfully. 

“So--” he began. Klaus quietly reached into his knitting bag and started back up on his project. For a moment Diego just stared at his brother tiredly. “Seriously, dude?” Rachel giggled and shrugged her shoulders. 

“I don’t mind.” she said. Luther and Five shared a glance and shrugged as well. Diego just rolled his eyes.

“Fine,” he groused. “Anyway--” Klaus clicked his needles loudly and stared at his brother as innocently as he could.

“What?”

“Any. Way.” Diego began again through gritted teeth. “Luther and I’ll escort you back over to your apartment if there’s anything you still need there.”

“My guitars,” Rachel said immediately. “My electric and an acoustic my friend Monkey gave me for Christmas last year.” Diego nodded then did a double-take.

“Your friend’s name is Monkey?” he asked incredulously.

“It’s a nickname,” Rachel explained. “She used to climb pretty much everything she could when she was a kid and… the name kinda stuck apparently. That reminds me, I should call her at some point so she knows where I am. She’ll be worried if I don’t show up to rehearsal.” Diego nodded, apparently pacified, and took a bite out of his toast. 

“I thought Luther said you were a librarian?” Klaus asked. Five elbowed him in the side.

“How’s that relevant?” Rachel smiled and glanced over at Luther.

“It’s alright. Music is more of a hobby, honestly. I play lead guitar for a band called Stheno. We performed the night Luther and I met, actually.” Luther smiled and put his hand over hers. Klaus sighed.

“Awwww!” he cooed. “Twue wuv!” Luther’s ears went red, but he still rolled his eyes exaggeratedly as Rachel broke down in giggles and Five tried (and failed) to keep a straight face through his brother’s antics. Diego just sighed and thumped his head on the table.

“Guys… c’mon, we’re trying to formulate a plan of attack here!” He waited a moment for the giggles to die down and crossed his arms.

“I’m sorry, Diego,” Luther said finally. “You’re right. You and I can go back to Rachel’s apartment and help her get a few more of her things. Five, you should come too so you can keep an eye out for Haven.”

“Yeah. Yeah, sure,” He swallowed the last of his coffee and got up along with Rachel and Luther. “The more the merrier.”

Less than five minutes later Diego pulled up outside Rachel’s apartment building, Five, Luther, and Rachel herself in tow. 

“Five, I’d like you to stay in the car and look out for Haven,” Luther said, easing himself and Rachel out of the car. “Rachel and I will go inside the apartment and grab her things.” Rachel tried not to betray her underlying nervousness at being back at her apartment so soon after last night. There was no sign of him as they made the hike to her fourth-floor apartment, but she still couldn’t stop her hands from shaking as she unlocked the front door. Almost immediately she was wrapped in a tight hug that made her freeze out of sheer instinct before she realized who it was.

“Monkey? How’d you get a key to my apartment?” Monkey set her down and sized up the three men standing awkwardly in the doorway behind Rachel. Finally, her eyes set on Luther’s broad frame and she grinned.

“You must be that Luther Hargreeves I’ve been hearing about!” Her eyes traveled southward for a moment. “No wonder she’s been so happy these past couple months!” Luther’s ears turned red.

“Yeah, that’d be me,” he admitted. “I don’t know if Rachel’s told you, but we’re really just here to get a few more of her things before heading back to the house. Rachel saw her ex in the parking lot last night and--” Monkey cut him off with a hearty string of curses.

“Oh, that rat bastard! I’m so sorry, Rachel!” Monkey hugged her friend again as Luther stood awkwardly behind them. The lead singer was a bit older than Rachel, on the edge of not-quite-40, with shaggy, medium-length brown hair and narrow hips, skinnier than Rachel, and with a visible Adam’s apple near the top of her throat. After another moment Luther cleared his throat.

“You said you wanted to grab your guitars, Rae?” he said. Rachel nodded and turned back to Monkey.

“I’m sorry, I appreciate you checking up on me, but I’m really just here for my guitars and a few more changes of clothes. Luther’s offered to have me stay at his family’s place until we get this sorted out,” She hugged her friend. “I’ll be at band practice tonight, though, I swear.”

“Oh honey, don’t worry about it! Take all the time you need! I’m sure you’re perfectly safe with a bunch of big, strong men around!” She winked at Luther, who went even redder and exchanged pleasantries while Rachel grabbed both guitars and the sparse contents of the little dresser she’d found with Monkey a few days after Stheno’s first paid performance two years back. She met the guys back out in the living room and they headed back downstairs, Luther carrying her suitcase while she escorted her prize guitars down back to the car personally.  
When they got back Diego looked uneasy. He was unusually still, looking out the driver’s side window of the car at a heavily wooded area across the street. 

“We should leave soon.” he said immediately as Luther and Rachel put her things in the trunk. Rachel’s blood ran cold as she quickly glanced over towards where Diego had been staring. 

“Did you see him? Is he there?” she asked quickly. Diego frowned harder. 

“I don’t know. How recent was the photo you gave us?” Rachel sighed and ran a hand through her hair. 

“It’s a few years old— Haven and I broke up in 2015— but it should still be reasonably accurate. Why?”

“‘Cause he took off right after we pulled up.” Five explained dryly. Rachel gasped and took a step back, nearly tripping over the curb behind her. Luther helped her up and into the backseat.

“Are you sure it was him?” Luther asked. He could feel Rachel shaking in the seat next to him and he felt the blood roiling in his veins at the thought of what he’d do to the man that made his funny, beautiful, talented Rachel so afraid. 

“Yeah, it was him,” said Diego. “But I got a license plate number, so when I get back to the house I’ll try to get one of my buddies down at the precinct to put out an APB,” When they stopped at the next intersection Diego glanced at Rachel in the mirror. “We’ll get this prick, don’t worry. One way or another.”

The mood back at the house was somber. Klaus had gone to work hours ago and both Hargreeves sisters were likely home or at rehearsal. Diego put the keys back on their hook in the entryway and grabbed the keys to his car. Five grabbed Rachel’s mother’s blueprints that she’d managed to save throughout her travels and took them upstairs to examine.

“Are you guys gonna be okay? I got a shift later, so I should probably head home.” Rachel nodded and ran a hand through her hair. 

“Thank you, Diego,” she said quietly. “For everything.” Luther sighed and wrapped an arm around Rachel’s shoulders. She leaned into his touch. Diego had a flash of Eudora doing that once, after one of their friends from the police academy had died in a shootout. He glanced from his brother to Rachel and back to Luther. 

“Anytime,” he said quietly. To Luther, he said, “You know where to reach me.” And with that he was out the door. She and Luther were nearly alone in that big old house, together with the blank spot above the fireplace where an old portrait of Reginald Hargreeves used to hang. 

“We should make lunch,” Luther said finally after a long moment of silence. “Are you hungry? I’m hungry.” Rachel grinned and followed her boyfriend downstairs into the kitchen. It was smaller than the rest of the house and cozier by a long shot. There was less of the old Hargreeves’s neo-Victorian, almost ostentatious, style, and more like it was part of a house— or a home.

“I bought some ground lamb a while back— I thought you’d like to try making that thing you told me about a while back. Safinhas? Esfinhas?” Rachel chuckled and helped him set up to make the dough. 

“Sfihas. My grandmother used to make them for us whenever we’d go back to Lebanon for Eid al-Adha in late July or early August.”

“Yeah, I remember. You said you could never get the dough quite as good as she did.” Rachel grinned. It was the little things about Luther that gave her the same sort of delighted butterflies that she’d had the night they first met, before some other woman looking to get lucky that night had spoiled their fun. 

“Yeah,” Rachel sighed. “I swear, that woman was more stubborn than the rest of Tyre combined.” Luther chuckled and helped her set the dough in a bowl to rise. 

“I know the type. And I’m related to most of them.” Rachel laughed and draped her arms over Luther’s shoulders. He smiled and gently wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her up so she could sit on the counter and be at perfect kissing height. They made out for a few minutes leisurely before the kiss intensified. Rachel’s hands wandered under Luther’s shirt, delighting in his soft giggles as she hit just the right spot. Just Luther’s hands wandered over to the button on Rachel’s jeans Five appeared next to the refrigerator in a snap of blue light. His resultant shriek of horror sent Rachel into fits of giggles as Luther glared daggers at his brother, who was now trying to shield his eyes as he rummaged the fridge for leftover chicken alfredo that he just knew had to be in there somewhere from last night’s family dinner.

“We’re making lunch,” Luther said dryly. “It’s Rachel’s grandmother’s, all the way from Lebanon.” That made Rachel snort and she fell over onto Luther’s chest giggling into his thick sweater.

“Whatever you’re making, I want no part of!” Five snapped as he pulled out the Tupperware container. “I’ll use the microwave in Klaus’s room. Good day.” And with that Five disappeared again, leaving Luther and Rachel alone to process what had just happened. The two of them locked eyes and burst out into a fresh fit of laughter, snorting and leaning on each other for a solid few minutes. Once their giggles had died down Luther leaned in to kiss a trail down Rachel’s neck and collarbone. Her leftover chuckles soon turned into soft, sweet moans of pleasure as his hands wandered under her thin t-shirt.

“Now,” he said, voice a few octaves lower than it had been. “Where were we?”


	4. Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this chapter is pretty gory. If you're eating, I'd suggest you come back when you're finished. You have been warned!

That night Rachel found herself back in her and Haven’s old San Francisco apartment in the Mission district. Their old couch was sitting against the wall, the same spots of wear and old coffee where they’d always been, the little bookshelf they’d refurbished together off to one side, filled with his books on economic theory and politics alongside her old Portuguese translation of the Hobbit and international human rights textbooks from what had turned out to be her final semester at law school. She looked down to see that she was wearing one of her old long-sleeved dresses that Haven always liked her to wear, a brown one with a high-low style hem and dark green trim around the edges. He liked her in skirts and dresses. There was something about the tradition it symbolized to him, the domesticity of it all. And of course, she didn’t mind wearing skirts or dresses, and she didn’t judge anyone who wore them almost exclusively. But it did raise questions when she went out in public wearing long sleeves in the middle of summer. Some, she figured, perhaps just thought she was simply devoutly religious in some fashion, but her lack of headscarf belied their initial assumptions. There was a cold iron cuff around her left ankle, digging into her delicate skin there with every step she took, despite the thin fabric cover she’d made for it to keep the iron itself from burning its way into her bloodstream. Haven would be home soon, she figured. She should start dinner. Haven always liked it when she had dinner ready for him at the end of the day when he came home from work or classes. A roast would be nice, some sort of Midwestern-style hotdish that reminded him of home. 

She reached into the freezer to thaw out the wrapped up meat she’d gotten from the butcher’s yesterday-- or was it the day before? She froze when she saw Luther’s severed head sitting quietly on the second-highest shelf in the refrigerator when she opened it to retrieve a bag of carrots and broccoli for dinner. She took it out and set it down on the counter. Luther’s previously bright, generous blue eyes had gone cloudy in death, though his short-cropped blonde hair was still as perfectly coiffed as it ever was, short enough to be effortless in its appearance. The head suddenly jerked awake, blue eyes staring right into her soul, handsome lips twisted into a snarl.

“You killed me,” said the head. Rachel couldn’t breathe. She felt the boiling tracks of tears falling down her cheeks, leaving reddened streaks of burnt flesh on her face. “You killed me and you’ve been eating me.”

“No,” Rachel said quietly. She couldn’t tell what language she was speaking in, but she understood herself all the same. “No, I didn’t. You’re out there. You’re alive, you’re on the moon--!”

“You killed me,” Luther’s head repeated. “You killed me, and you’ve been eating me.” Rachel felt herself backing away, nearly tripping over her little kitten-heel pumps. She heard the sound of Haven’s heavy footsteps coming down the hallway outside and she knew she was out of time.

“No,” she wailed. “No, no, no, no, no, Luther, baby, no!” The head continued repeating,

“You killed me. You killed me, and now you’re going to eat me.” over and over and over as Haven’s footsteps grew louder outside the door. Finally, the head stopped its recitation in favor of just repeating her name over and over and over and over and over….

Then she woke up, the real Luther’s face hovering over her concernedly as she faded back to the real world. She hurriedly tried to wipe away the tears trailing across her cheeks. 

“Nightmare?” Luther asked quietly. Rachel nodded and curled up against Luther’s broad chest as he soothed away the dream. They’d both had nightmares in each other’s presence, of course. It was only natural, given their respective backgrounds, but for some reason, this one had been particularly horrifying. After another minute Rachel squirmed away from Luther’s arms and got up.

“I’m just gonna get a glass of water from the kitchen, baby,” Rachel said softly. She leaned over to kiss him and slipped on her favorite pair of slippers that she’d gotten the previous day from her apartment. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. Go back to sleep.”

The halls of the great old house were quiet this time of night, the only light available the slivers of moonlight shining through the half-drawn blinds. Two flights of stairs later she was startled to see Klaus sitting at the kitchen table, skinny feet propped up on the smooth wood, working through what looked like a baby sweater, a steaming fresh cup of tea sitting next to him.

“Hey,” Rachel greeted as she went to grab a cup from the sink. “Couldn’t sleep?” Klaus sighed and nodded.

“Yeah. One of my, uh… one of the people at the clinic OD’d last night.” Rachel sat down gently as she took a sip from her drink.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“I mean, she’s in the hospital, she’s doing okay! But…” he sighed and set his knitting down completely. “She was doing so good! I mean… I get it, y’know? Life is shit, sometimes you need…” Rachel nodded.

“Anesthetic,” she finished for him. “Believe me, I understand. It’s always hard to watch someone you care about suffer.” Klaus nodded and picked his knitting back up. They sat for a moment in companionable silence as Rachel drained her water glass and filled it up again.

“Can I tell you something?” Klaus asked after she’d half-drained her glass again. Rachel nodded.

“Yeah, sure. Anything.” Klaus hesitated a moment before he spoke, clearly trying to get his thoughts in order.

“I just wanted you to know that I don’t think I’ve ever seen Luther as happy as he’s been since he started seeing you,” Rachel blushed, grinning. “He’s… more relaxed, less angry and depressed. You’ve been good for him”

“I’m glad,” Rachel said quietly. “Your brother’s a good man. He makes me feel… safe. And I haven’t had that for a long time.” Klaus grinned playfully.

“Alright, out with it! When’s the wedding?” Rachel threw her head back and let out a low, full-bodied laugh.

“Well, whenever one of us proposes, you’ll be the first to know!” Klaus grinned even harder until the slight creak of a distant floorboard caught their attention.

“Did you see anyone else up on your way down here?” Klaus asked. Rachel shook her head.

“Who’s all in the house?”

“Me, you, Luther, and Five,” Klaus said immediately. “And I don’t think that’s Five or Luther.”

“It’s not heavy enough to be Luther,” Rachel murmured. “Oh god.” Klaus immediately sprang up from his chair and gently eased Rachel into looking him in the eye.

“Hey. It’s alright, okay? We’re gonna be alright. Dad had a weapons stash in his office on the first floor. We’ll go load up and check on Luther and Five. Sound like a plan?” Rachel nodded, still shaking.

“If you can, find me a sword,” she said quietly. “I’m a decent shot, but I’m better with a blade.” Klaus huffed and smiled a bit.

“You sound like Diego,” he said dryly. “C’mon, we’ll go together.”

The first floor of the Hargreeves house was silent to a fault. Klaus led the way through the corridors towards where his father’s office had been, now converted into a study for Luther’s work consulting for various space programs across the world. The family weapons closet had remained mostly untouched, partly in case of another tactical assault on the mansion, and partly out of a desire to keep some of the things from their father’s reign over the house, despite the awful memories associated with their father’s… general existence as a person. A shadow flitted across the window and Klaus drew Rachel into a corner to wait it out. 

“What are you doing?” Klaus cut off a startled shriek as Five popped into view behind them. Rachel took care not to step too loudly as she crept back out towards him. “We think Haven may be in the house,” she whispered. “We’re going to try and arm ourselves so we can make a search of the house.” Five rolled his eyes and crossed his skinny arms. 

“I’m pretty sure I could take care of him better than either of you.” he said with a huff. His skinny legs stuck out from the bottoms of his pajama pants due to a recent final growth spurt. He was nearly as tall as she was now, but still that same, scrawny little boy she’d heard so many stories about. 

“I know, queridão,” she said quietly. “And we’d appreciate your help.”

“Don’t condescend,” Five said tiredly. “But I’ll call Diego. Is Luther around?” Rachel sighed. 

“I had a nightmare and woke him accidentally. I told him to go back to sleep and went downstairs for a glass of water.” Five gave her a sympathetic smile and patted her awkwardly on the shoulder. He disappeared in a pop of blue light and the room was silent once more.  
Luther’s study was never locked, according to Klaus, and easily got into the weapons cabinet with a key Klaus had found in his father’s desk soon after he’d died. Klaus armed himself with an early 70s-era Glock while Rachel chose a pair of matching short swords, strapping one to her waist with a leather holster she’d found alongside it. They came across Five standing right outside the door, holding a large semi-automatic that looked almost comically large against the teenager’s lithe frame. Next to him stood Luther, dressed hastily in a semi-clean long-sleeve tee shirt and jeans, along with his signature heavy boots and fingerless gloves.

“Rachel, you and I will head upstairs to the left, Klaus and Luther, you go right. Diego’s on his way and he’ll be here in a few minutes. Allison too. It sounds like we’ll need all the help we can get.” Rachel nodded and the group split up. She followed Five up the stairs and over towards Luther’s and Allison’s rooms, looking through every corridor and alcove for any sign of a break-in.

“So,” Five said quietly. “Klaus told me you and Luther have been dating since last May.” Rachel sighed. Here it goes.

“Yeah,” she glanced in one of the many bathrooms on that floor and moved on to the next. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to meet you all under better circumstances.” Five shrugged.

“Better is an entirely subjective state of being,” he deadpanned. After a moment he sighed and turned to look Rachel in the eye. “But I’m glad Luther’s happy. He seems… happy.” he finished lamely. Rachel grinned and resisted the urge to ruffle the apparent teenager’s hair. He was, after all, holding a gun.

“Thank you,” she said genuinely. “He makes me happy too.” Five made a face in spite of himself.

“I noticed.” Rachel giggled but stopped suddenly as she heard another board creak.

“It’s coming from downstairs!” she hissed. Five adjusted his grip on the semi-automatic and popped away. A shot rang out from downstairs, followed by the patter of machine-gun fire. Rachel dashed down the hall towards the Hargreeves’ living room. A stray bullet whizzed by her ear as she took cover behind a large couch where she ran into Klaus reloading his weapon.

“Your ex is a terrible shot,” he commented blithely as he smacked the new cartridge into place. “Lucky for us!” he stood up and turned around to unload a handful of shots at Haven himself on the other side of the room.

“He always was,” Rachel said as she tried to catch her breath. “He’d always be in just a godawful mood whenever someone beat him at darts,” Klaus chuckled and let off another shot. “Where’s Luther and Five?”

“Five’s on the balcony. Probably took cover upstairs. Luther should be already coming.” Sure enough, Rachel could hear her boyfriend’s thundering footsteps coming down the stairs over the hail of gunfire next to her. She heard a crash as Luther knocked the door off its hinges and tackled Haven to the ground, then a flurry of meaty punches as Luther subdued the intruder. Without thinking Rachel dashed over towards the two men wrestling on the ground, hearing Klaus distantly calling for his other brother to cease fire. 

“Luther!” Rachel shrieked just in time for Haven to get in a lucky hit, dazing his opponent long enough to get out of his grip and charge towards Rachel. She unsheathed one of the swords she’d grabbed from Luther’s study and swung it towards his throat.

Haven ducked and sucker-punched Rachel in the kidney, leaving her gasping and dizzy with pain. Somehow she managed to dodge his next attack, getting in a lucky strike against his midsection. Haven grunted in pain and stuck a hand to his side in a laughable attempt to stem the bleeding.

“You fucking whore,” he spat as he held up the gun. “You lead me on a merry little chase across eight dimensions and when I finally track you down you’re screwing King Kong? Like my cock wasn’t good enough for you, you had to go and--” Rachel cut him off but knocking the gun out of his hands and bringing her sword across in a bloody slice clean through his throat. Haven almost looked surprised as he slumped to the floor, gargling and seemingly trying to talk.

“Shut up, asshole.” was all she could think to say as she brought her sword down one final time, decapitating the man who’d nearly ruined her life multiple times over. Finally, the room was quiet, save for the hurried in and out of everyone’s breathing. 

“Holy shit,” Everyone turned to see Klaus standing still behind the couch, gun held loosely in one hand while the other combed haphazardly through his dark curls. “Glad that’s over!” Rachel laughed finally as she dropped her sword and accepted Luther’s hug despite the blood and sweat on both of their clothes. After a moment Diego and Allison rushed into the room, clearly tired and out of breath. They did an almost simultaneous double-take as they took in the decapitated man in a growing pool of blood on their living   
room floor.

“Looks like we missed a party,” Allison said, glancing back up at the woman in Luther’s arms. “You must be Rachel. I’m Allison.” Rachel grinned and took a step forward.

“I am, yeah. It’s great to finally meet you.”

They ended up burying Haven’s body in the garden, underneath a row of rosebushes where Rachel’s tormentor could be more useful than he’d ever been to her in life. About a month after that Rachel moved in with him, into the old rebuilt mansion that was more of a home now than ever. 

It was nearly two months later that Rachel stood at the doorway of their shared bedroom and announced, “We have to talk.”  
Luther jolted out of his painting haze and turned. She’d been more tired lately, needier than she’d been, even for someone so naturally affectionate as she already was.

“What’s wrong?” Rachel walked over to sit down on their bed and patted the space next to her.

“You should probably sit down.” Luther immediately dropped his charcoal and went to sit next to his fiancee. Rachel leaned into him, as she so often did, but still, she seemed distant, almost anxious.

“Rachel, you’re scaring me,” he admitted. “What’s going on?” After a moment, Rachel told him.

“I’m pregnant, Luther,” Luther’s jaw dropped open as he went shock still. Pregnant? He was going to be a father. His thoughts raced as Rachel stared at him, waiting for a reaction. “Luther, please say something. Anything.”

“How far along?” was the only thing he could think to say. His stomach fell through the floor as Rachel’s smile dropped from her lips. He hadn’t meant to disappoint her with his reaction, but something deep down refused to think he could ever spark the beginning to something as wonderful as her child.

“The doctor said maybe two to two and a half months. I want to keep it. Are you... okay?” Luther nodded. The initial shock had finally worn off and the news was finally sinking in. He was going to be a father.

“Yeah,” he said quietly. “I just… what if the baby comes out… looking like me?” Images of a squalling, deformed, hairy infant flashed through his mind, of nurses and doctors gasping in horror.

“Then it’ll come out looking like the man I love” Rachel broke him out of his thoughts. “Luther, I’m not afraid to have your child. Believe it or not, I want to. You’re a good man, and you’re going to be a wonderful father.” Luther smiled, tears in his eyes. Cautiously he moved his hand over Rachel’s abdomen. She wasn’t showing yet, but the gesture gave her butterflies nonetheless.

“We’re going to be parents!” Luther whispered excitedly.


	5. Epilogue: My Family by Arthur Benjamin Faris-Hargreeves

[Note: original essay by 5-year-old Arthur Faris-Hargreeves has been edited only for spelling and punctuation. All other content is true to the original essay turned in to Mrs. Lu’s first grade writing assignment dated March 21st, 2026.]

My name is Arthur Benjamin Faris-Hargreeves and I’m almost six years old. Me, my mom, my dad, Uncle Five, and my baby sister live in a big old house that used to be my grandpa’s house.

My Uncle Klaus used to live with us, but now he lives in an apartment with Aunt Monkey and their new puppy Boris, and I get to visit them whenever Mommy and Daddy want to have alone time!

I think my favorite is Aunt Vanya right now cause she told me she’s teaching me to play the violin, and she even gave me her old one from when she was a little girl! I don’t really sound that good right now, but Aunt Vanya says I’ll get better if I practice every single day. My sister Penelope doesn’t like it very much when I practice, but she’s only two, and besides, I really like it when Aunt Vanya’s happy so I’m gonna keep doing it.

Oh! I almost forgot! Me and Penny are gonna have a baby brother or sister! When Mommy told everyone last week I thought Daddy was gonna fall on the floor again like he did when Mommy said she was gonna have Penelope, but Uncle Diego caught him and set him down in a chair so he wouldn’t break the floor again.

Uncle Diego lives all the way on the other side of town, which is really sad because Uncle Diego is super cool! He goes out and fights crime like Batman and he’s a really good fighter like Wonder Woman and when me and Penelope are older he said he’ll teach us how to throw knives! I told Mommy and Daddy and I was really excited, but Daddy kinda looked mad when I told him so I don’t know if I’ll ever get to be cool like Uncle Diego.

Oh! And one more thing! Auntie Allison’s gonna be in a scary movie next year! It’s really cool, but Daddy said it’s too scary for little kids so he’s gonna get my cousin Claire to babysit while they go to see the movie, which is TOTALLY not fair, but Mommy said she’ll let Claire order pizza so I guess it’s not all bad.

Teacher’s note: Arthur’s writing assignment is very well written for his age, but please talk to him about the difference between truth and fantasy. Parent-teacher conference is requested ASAP.


End file.
